The very nature of God reveals to us some truths that are instructive to us. These revelations help us understand more accurately why God has such high demands on us, and help us respond to His various invitations with the right attitude and actions.
Yesterday, in our reflection, we inferred three key points from the nature of God. For ease of reference, we will call these three key points as the Three Revelations of God’s Nature.
The first revelation: Out of love for us, God is willing to do all things and become all things. This revelation reminds us that God is willing to bestow grace upon us unceasingly and boundlessly. The second revelation: God will do anything to save us at all cost. This demonstrates God’s characteristic of being willing to “go to all lengths” and “have no hesitation” to save us. The third revelation: God has specific requirements for us, namely to deny ourselves and take up our cross to follow Him – a demand that sounds easy but is challenging to fulfill.
While this may seem like a demand from God, it is essentially rooted in our benefit. Instead of a demand, it is more accurate to say that God has given us crucial guidance, teaching us the key to attaining His greatest blessings!
Most importantly, the third revelation plays a decisive role as it is the only key that can “activate” the first and second revelations.
Why is that? Because God has given us free will and will not force us to accept His love. Additionally, relationships are always mutual, so our willingness and cooperation are key to whether God can unfold His perfect plan in us. We need to understand that when it comes to achieving this goal, no one understands it better than God. However, as we have consistently emphasized, there is only one method, and it’s not easy. But if we follow through, God’s promises will manifest in our lives!
The key to victory, as we refer to it here, is precisely the advice Jesus gave to His disciples: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23). This is not only the key to unlocking God’s infinite blessings upon us but also the first step in returning God’s love.
Please don’t be intimidated by these seemingly high demands. After all, what does it mean to “deny oneself”? For the rich young man, Jesus’ answer was, “Go, sell whatever you have and give to the poor.” But for different people, God has different requirements on how we should “deny ourselves.”
One thing is certain – God asks us to let go of things that may seem important to us but are not so in the eyes of God.
This is where it becomes most challenging for us.
These things we can’t let go of have a captivating power over us, and they can blind our hearts and minds.
What’s more frightening is that they can prevent us from seeing the truth, hinder us from receiving the most crucial messages from God in the present moment, causing us to lose the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and make wrong decisions.
Wasn’t it because the rich young man couldn’t let go of his possessions that he completely missed the crucial message that Jesus told him? And most importantly, these things we can’t let go of can deprive us of the freedom that we have gained through the free will given by God!
Of course, in addition to tangible things, what we want to abandon also includes intangible things, such as our desires, our pursuits, our plans, etc.
These things that we strive to pursue greatly hinder us from choosing God’s tailor-made plan for us. Regrettably, these things not only take away the place God should hold in our hearts but also cause us to lose the “ultimate love” we should choose in our lives!
Reflection
Imagine if Jesus stood before you and said, “If you want to become my follower, you must deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” How would you feel? Do you perceive this request as a significant burden, or do you see it as a special reminder and tip from God?
How do you think God wants you to “deny yourself”? I invite you to ask God in your meditation.
Are there difficulties or fears in implementing this invitation from God in your life? If so, why?
Today’s Prayer
Lord, I understand that through today’s reflection, You invite me to see with new eyes and accept and embrace Your call to follow You. Please remind me not to view this request as a burden in my life but as a key for unlocking infinite blessings from You, an opportunity to love You as You have loved me.
Help me to act in accordance with this new perspective, to accept Your invitation on how to deny myself, and to face and renounce those things that captivate me and cloud my judgment.
Holy Spirit, please enlighten me, teach me to use the free will gifted by God wisely, and guide me in making the right choices, so that the Father’s plan for me may unfold smoothly.
Lord, I willingly surrender myself to You…
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Fundraising Appeal
Thank you for participating in this 40-day Lenten spiritual journey, Finding God in All Things. We hope you have been inspired and have benefitted from it! For the spiritual benefit of all of you, Fountain of Love and Life devotes a lot of time and effort in producing various spiritual projects every year, and all our ministries are sustained by the generous donations of our supporters. We hope you will support us with prayers and donations. Please make an online donation using the button at the top of the website Lent.FLL.cc. Thank you very much for your support. God bless!
The following is the “Farmer of Hearts: Finding God in All Things” team, including FLL staff and volunteers.
Please kindly pray for them. May God protect them and sustain their physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
Project Manager: Michael Lam
Writer: Paul Yeung
Editors: Bonny Chan, Rosa Tse
English Editors: Bonny Chan, Paul Yeung
Mandarin Editor: Anthony X.
Cantonese Narrator: Margaret Woo
English Narrator: Bonny Chan
Mandarin Narrator: Rene Ren
Audio Editors: Fonte Ip, Sander Lee, Margaret Woo
YouTube Editors: Fonte Ip, Sander Lee, Arnold Chan
Graphics: Francis Lai, Rosa Tse
Website: Patricia Young, Angela Wong
Podcast: Angela Wong
Social Media: Yollie Leung, Carmen Tsang, Rosa Tse
Theme Music:
“Friends Only” by Introvert Pianist https://www.youtube.com/@introvertpianist
“Watercolor Lilies” by Aaron Kenny https://youtube.com/@contactkennya